Thursday, August 16, 2007

Iran confirms arrest of three journalists

An Iranian judiciary spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Iranian authorities have detained journalists Masoud Bastani, Farshad Ghorbanpour and Soheil Asefi, accusing the three of “publishing false statements and lies” about the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to Jurist.

According to Reporters Without Border (RSF), Asefi was arrested August 4 and Ghorbanpour was detained July 31. Asefi’s and Ghorbanpour’s “most basic rights were violated as they were barred from court when the sentence was handed down,” RSF said.

The spokesman said that Asefi has been granted a $162,000 bail. A judiciary ministry official told Reuters that Bastani had been released but can still be questioned pursuant to ongoing investigations.